


Unfortunate Timing

by calmingmotions



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Everyone Is Alive, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omegaverse, Scenting, alpha!kokichi, beta!akamatsu, omega!shuichi, shuichi needs some affection, stress heat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2019-06-08 17:49:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15248646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calmingmotions/pseuds/calmingmotions
Summary: Shuichi's been feeling a bit off. Finding out whats wrong with him creates quite a few issues for the omega.





	1. Figuring Out

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't finished yet, but I hope you enjoy it anyways!

“Saihara.” Maybe it was just hot in here, maybe the air conditioning was broken. “Saiharaaa.” Although, that seemed a bit implausible. Why would the air conditioning break in this school when the monokubs could just fix it? “Saihara!” A voice shouted, sounding agitated yet worried.

Shuichi jumped, the tone grabbing onto his train of thought of forcefully pulling it off the tracks. Kaede huffed beside him as Shuichi blankly blinked at her, startled. 

“Are you okay?” Kaede asked, sounding exasperated. She could clearly tell by the distress soaking his scent that he was being bothered by something.

“I’m..,” Shuichi hesitated, clenching his hand, dropping his gaze. He wasn’t very sure what was wrong with him, but something was definitely bothering him. “I’m just… I don’t feel right…” Shuichi stuttered out, peering at his friend past his ever present-cap. Kaede gave him a confused, concerned look. She leaned in closer, taking in his features, trying to get a read on him, trying to pick up on the smaller details of his scent.

“How so? What’s bothering you?” Kaede asked. Shuichi opened his mouth, then closed it again. He felt unbearably anxious.

“I feel like… theres something I should be preparing for, but I cant tell what it is..,” Shuichi murmured. Kaede could tell he had more to say, more circling his mind, so she waited patiently for him to grab hold of the right words, a reassuring smile gracing her features.

“I-I’m very hot, and my skin feels tingly. I want to… I want to be close to someone,” He explained, clearly perturbed by his own feelings. Kaede nodded slowly, taking in the information herself, trying to make sense of it. She waited a few seconds before standing in a smooth, slow motion, clearly choosing her actions with care.

“Can I try something?” She asked, almost hesitantly. “We might be able to figure out what’s bothering you if we can try this.” Although he very much so trusted his dear friend, Shuichi hesitated. He couldn’t tell what caused him to hold back, he usually was ready to do anything Kaede asked about, but something was pestering him that told him to wait. Kaede let out a soft, neutral scent, calming him down but not overpowering him, his jumbled thoughts untangling ever so slightly.

Shuichi slowly stood up, feeling more at ease, and Kaede took his hand. Shuichi sunk back into his thoughts as they walked, loosing track of where they were headed. He really couldn’t pinpoint what his malfunction was, but Kaede seemed to have an idea, so he put his hesitant faith in her.

When Shuichi came to, they were in front of his room. He gave the pianist a curious look, not sure what path her mind was on. Kaede gestured to the door, an unspoken “open it” fluttering past Shuichi’s ears and settling among his thoughts.

Despite his confusion, Shuichi opened the door, holding it wide for Kaede to step inside. She instead waited, gesturing for him to go inside. She wanted him to be comfortable and make all the first moves. Kaede didn’t want to shove Shuichi into an uncomfortable if she correctly hypothesized what was wrong with him.

Shuichi stepping into his own room, slowly, and turned to face his friend when he reached the middle of the floor. He stood anxiously, skin crawling, scent uncomfortable. Kaede closed the door, then moved to sit on the edge of Shuichi’s bed. The detective watched her, nervousness creeping into him as she patted the spot beside her, wanting Shuichi to join her.  
The omega slowly made his way over, sitting on the bed with such gentleness that Kaede briefly felt that maybe she too should be sitting carefully. Shuichi settled, facing Kaede but keeping his eyes lowered, lashes hooding pupils that flitted across the duvet uneasily. 

“I’m going to check the scent glands on your legs,” Kaede said very softly, being careful with her choice in tone. Shuichi stared at her with wide, frightened eyes. “I won’t if you are uncomfortable, but I want to make sure that I’m right about what I think is wrong with you before I make a big fuss.” Kaede placed a slim hand on his, a reassuring action.

Shuichi gulped. The scent glands on ones wrist were commonly scented by friends, and the ones on the neck were for closer friends, people you trusted more, so if Kaede had asked to check on either of those Shuichi wouldn’t have minded. But the pianist asked to check the glands on his legs, more specifically, his inner thighs. It was a very sensitive spot, for one, and was normally only touched or scented by lovers. While Shuichi did love Kaede, he didn’t love her to the point of romance. This may be too much…

“Again, you don’t have to, and I’m not trying to force you into anything,” Kaede continued, and Shuichi almost missed her soft words, being stampeded by his own racing thoughts. “Shuichi,” the beta tried, and Shuichi looked up at her, making shaky eye contact. “Please, I need a yes or no, Shuichi.” The detective shivered, anxiety racing down his spine.

But he wanted to know what was bothering him so bad, and Kaede seemed to know. She won’t hurt him, she won’t. They’re friends, and Shuichi trusts her. Shuichi gives a soft nod, and then lets a soft “Yes.” escape, agreeing to let her check his scent glands.

“Alright!” She said, immediately switching back to her peppy self. “You have to take your pants off, okay?” Shuichi nodded without rhythm, nervously moving to shimmy his pants down his legs. Kaede looked off to the side as he did so, at least giving him some semblance of privacy. He folded his striped pants and laid them on the table, dusting them off to stall for a moment before he shifted to face Kaede again. 

“Okay, scoot back on the bed a bit so you’ll be more comfy.” Kaede told him, gesturing to the array of pillows and blankets at the head of his bed. Maybe he should have cleaned that before he left this morning. Shuichi had sort of surrounded himself with all of his soft things for a while, not understanding why he did it but not fighting the urge either, but he had left a terrible mess out as a result. 

Shuichi crawled back on his bed, and Kaede followed, settling in front of him as he leaned back on the pit of blankets. Shuichi subconsciously shifted his legs up to his chest, gaze fidgeting nervously across the room. Kaede let out a little huff before her soft scent ebbed out, calming the visibly frazzled omega. Shuichi took a breath, finally resting his sight on Kaede, taking in her steady body language, reassuring.

“Okay,” She started, a hand fluttering down to his knee. “Spread your legs just a bit, I need to actually feel your scent glands.” She laughed a bit at his heavy blush. He spread his legs, just enough for her to run a hand along the glands. He couldn’t regard her much longer without overwhelming embarrassment painting him, so he stared down at his sheets. Shuichi trembled horribly as Kaede finally placed a considerate hand against his inner thigh, and he knew she could smell his spike of fear, distrust, and feel him jerk away from her. She patted his leg with her other hand, a relaxed gesture, unflustered by the situation.

“I’m going to knead the scent out, is that alright?” Kaede asked. Shuichi nodded, high-strung and tense, but Kaede accepted the skittish nod and gently pressed against the gland. Shuichi jumped and whimpered, unable to help himself, and Kaede hushed him gently, trying to keep him calm. A minuscule amount of his scent drifted into the air. Shuichi himself couldn’t make out the meaning of the unusually sweet scent, but hopefully the pianist before him could. Her eyes were focused, her nose wrinkled as she scented the air.

She pressed again, the pressure coaxing out more of the troubling scent. Shuichi picked out a tinge of bitterness, but couldn’t define the emotion troubling him. Shuichi, let out a soft, uncomfortable sound this time, but kept himself from pulling away from her hand. Kaede praised him in a hushed tone. 

She pressed a final time before it seemed she came to a conclusion, and Shuichi couldn’t express his relief when her hands left the sensitive part of his body. Kaede looked troubled, but confident in her findings. She didn’t move away from Shuichi at all, staying in close proximity to him. While her hands on his legs had made him nervous, being able to smell her in this close brought him a restful mind.

“So,” Kaede murmured, more to herself than Shuichi, but the utterance still caught his complete attention. “You are going into a stress heat.” Shuichi’s scent spiked violently with distress, and he let out a shocked gasp, pulling his knees up to his chest subconsciously. 

“Shh calm down, calm down!” Kaede raised her hands and waved them in a ‘settle down’ gesture. But how was he supposed to calm down? He wasn’t supposed to have a heat for weeks, much less a stress heat! They lasted longer and required much more love and physical touch than a heat. Stress heats focused more on affection rather than mating, but it was just as dangerous, if not more so. Omegas in stress heat suffered extreme fevers and could become malnourished if they didn’t care for themselves properly. They could become mindless almost. Not to mention the horrible cramps and mood swings. It was so dangerous without an alpha there to battle the rush of omega hormones. And Shuichi was completely alpha-less.

“Saihara,” Kaede’s voice cut through his rampant thoughts, clearing the omega’s now fuzzy head for just a moment. “We’ll figure something out, I know you’re already worrying, but it will be okay.” The pianist told him. Shuichi waited for a moment before answering, trying to calm himself down enough to reply even somewhat eloquently.

“O-Okay… I trust you.” Shuichi mumbled, anxiety evident in his quivering words. Kaede gave a soft smile, settling his haywire nerves. Kaede moved back a bit, giving the omega some much needed space so he could adjust to the information and gather himself after the little inspection. Kaede reached over and handed Shuichi his neatly folded pants. Shuichi murmured a soft ‘thank you’ before he slid the pants on, feeling more comfortable that way.

“So you’re clearly not fully in heat yet, but I’d say you have maybe two days until it completely hits you,” Kaede told him, a safe smile resting on her features. Shuichi nodded uneasily. “I know you’re nervous and we aren’t, prepared, but we have time. Let’s go get you some things, alright?” The beta said, using a gentle lilt of command in her voice to get the omega to listen. She may not want to control him, but maybe being out and about will make him more comfortable.

Shuichi looked hesitant at the notion of leaving, but soon agreed with a faint nod. Kaede stood up and held out a hand, offering to help Shuichi stand. He took the offer, grip loose, and stood as well, following her steps out of the room after he slipped on his shoes. They headed down to the warehouse area near the cafeteria. Shuichi himself didn’t know what he needed for his own heat, so he hoped Kaede had an idea.

They walked into the room, and Kaede immediately marched off to the back, a sense of purpose in her long strides as she dragged the omega behind her. She took a sharp right turn at the end, going down a few aisles before stopping, her complete focus on the racks of items. She stood silent for a moment, eyes scanning the myriad of different objects.

“Ah!” She finally exclaimed after a few more painful seconds, causing Shuichi to jump in surprise. She let go of his hand to hurry over to the shelf that caught her eye, reaching back and searching. She pulled out a thick, fuzzy looking blanket, some other blankets similar to it falling off the rack as she grabbed the one she wanted.

“You’ll need some nesting materials, right? I saw you had some thin blankets and flat pillows in your room, but they wont compare to this!” She snatched up another blanket before pulling a round pillow off of a higher shelf, stacking them together to hold easily. She bolted off before Shuichi had the chance to say a word, heading down a suppurate aisle. 

Shuichi caught up with her moments later, finding her incredibly troubled. 

“They dont..,” She sifted through what looked to be containers of pills, shoving it aside and looking deeper. “They don’t have any pain medication or suppressants.” Kaede said with a frown. Shuichi’s eyes widened, distress painting his scent. The pain from a stress heat was, if he remembers properly, unbearable without some medicated relief.

Kaede, this time, had no initial comfort to give the panicked detective. Her eyes lingered on the shelf for a moment before she let it fall down. She turned to Shuichi and set her face back to a small smile. 

“It’ll be okay,” she said peppily, “We’ll pick up something that can retain heat, and that should help with pain.” Shuichi nodded in agreement. He worried that wouldn’t be enough to quell the pain he was sure to feel, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. He needed to appreciate Kaede’s overwhelming help and support rather than complain, so he righted his thoughts and followed her, already moving down yet another aisle. 

She handed Shuichi a pack of water and a bunch of special protein bars that were stored down low, packed in boxes. They weren’t sure if he’d want to leave his nest, so they needed to make sure he had the sustenance to stay in his room for as long as the stress heat affected him. Kaede snatched some sort of bottle from one of the shelves, looking pleased with her finding. With a pep in her step, the pianist left the warehouse, Shuichi following behind, feeling much more confident about the whole situation now that his friend had helped him organize everything.

The two hurried back to his room with their armful of supplies. They didn’t want to cross paths with anyone, because while Shuichi wasn’t going into a heat that required—ahem—mating, he was still going to be producing pheromones that would draw in alphas. So it was safer for them to not know, than to know and be drawn to him before he’s even entered the stress heat.

Shuichi unlocked his door, and Kaede burst through, throwing all her items on his bed. She let out a sigh of relief, placing her hands on her hips.

“That was much heavier to carry than I thought it would be!” She exclaimed, twirling around the face the omega who was still holding his own items. He moved over to place them on the ground next to his small dresser, neatly pushing them against the wall there. His eyes roamed up nervously at the mess that had become of his bed. He flitted hesitantly over to the pile of new blankets and pillows, unable to pin what was leading to the hesitance holding him back from just rearranging his nest.

Kaede was watching him quietly, seriously now. Shuichi couldn’t tell if she was gauging his closeness to the heat or if she was just making sure she didn’t do anything to startle him. Kaede took a step away from the bed, giving the omega some room. Shuichi still hesitated, wariness gracing the atmosphere that hovered around him.

“I can leave if you need me to, so you can build your nest.” Kaede offered. Shuichi didn’t feel particularly inclined to be alone right now. He didn’t know why, but he really didn’t want to be left in the empty space of his room by himself.

“It’s fine, you can stay.” He murmured, almost soundless. Kaede nodded, moving back enough to give him full access to all areas of his bed, and she sat down on the floor, watching the omega. Shuichi grabbed a handful of the new thick blanket, finding the confidence to fix his nest, rubbing his fingertips along it, feeling the incredibly soft material that pleased the omega in him.

He pulled the blanket off the bed, tossing it on the floor, much to Kaede’s confusion from her place on the floor. Shuichi grabbed the rest of his blankets and pillows, new and old, dragging them down as well. Shuichi straightened his sheets, then finally started building his nest.

He placed his old, thin sheets at the bottom of the nest, then used a few of the slightly thicker ones to start the walls of the nest. He arranged them and rearranged them until he was content with the shape. Then he grabbed the new pillows and blankets, leaving the old pillows on the ground. He placed these along the edges as well, creating an almost velvety wall of blankets and pillows. The old pillows were set up along the foot of the bed, not much use there, but available if they were needed.

Shuichi picked up the weird bottle that Kaede had picked up earlier, now realizing what it was. It was indeed a bottle, but meant for cramps, shaped to be more flat than a cylindrical bottle. You were supposed to fill it with water, shake it, wait for it to heat up and the bottle was supposed to sooth cramps of all sorts. Shuichi put this next to the stack of food on the floor.

Had Kaede not been one of his best friends, she would be a wonderful and caring mate. Shuichi slowly crawled up onto his bed and into his nest, sitting down in the center and observing around it. He let out a little content huff, pleased with his handiwork. He noticed Kaede move from the corner of his eye, standing up.

She walked towards him, something held in her closed hand, and he, despite himself, warily moved backwards on the bed and into the safety of his nest. When the pianist reached the edge of the omega’s bed, she reached her hand out to him, making sure not to touch the nest. She held a pill bottle, and Shuichi looked up at his friend, confused.

“They’re scent suppressants,” She explained with a slight smile. “I’m not exactly sure how the alphas will react to a stress heat, since its not the same as a regular heat, but better safe than sorry!” She shook the bottle gently, and Shuichi took it, not touching her hand. He felt nervous having her around his nest, but he trusted her and was doing his best not to hide away. 

Shuichi reached down and picked up one of the bottles of water, opening it and the pill bottle, taking one of the pills with a quick swig of water to down it. 

“Thank you, Akamatsu, I really appreciate you helping me.” Kaede visibly lit up at the words, a dazzling smile finding its way into her expression.

“It’s no problem at all! I just want you to be comfortable and safe, of course.” She replied, taking a step back from the nest to give him some room. Shuichi gave a small nod of appreciation. 

“I really don’t think your heat will kick in for a while, you should be okay for a day or two if you want to still go to breakfast and such.” Shuichi nodded at the words, thinking it over. He really didn’t want anyone knowing about the heat, but he also might need one of the alphas to know in case he needed them. It was almost night anyways, he can sleep on his thoughts and get back to Kaede in the morning. 

“I think I’ll just sleep for tonight, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Shuichi said very softly, peering at Kaede from under his cap. Kaede gave a reassuring smile.

“That’s no problem,” Kaede said, turning to leave. The action filled a shock of panic through Shuichi. He didn’t want to be alone… “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay? Remember that you are safe in here, okay?” Kaede said, her hand turning the door knob. Shuichi hesitated, then gave a quick, succinct nod. He still didn’t want her to leave him, but in the rational part of his mind he knew she would prefer a good nights rest in her own room. 

Instead of using anymore words, Shuichi lifted his hand and gave a small wave, nervous but trying to accept the words he was told. Kaede mimicked the gesture with an almost amused smile before leaving, closing the door behind her. Shuichi heard the click of the lock, and then felt the emptiness of the atmosphere. 

Shuichi rubbed at his arms, a gesture of fake comfort. He eased himself out of his nest, having to force himself up, to put on some soft pajamas. He slinked his way back into his nest when that was finished, burying his face into one of the fluffy pillows. He still needed to chose an alpha that could help him. He wasn’t opposed to someone like Kaito or even Maki sitting with him through it, but he was really after one alpha in particular. But… would the others accept him wanting to stay with such a mischievous person? Shuichi knew a lot of people didn’t care for his preferred alpha, but he had gotten to know them a bit and quite liked them…

Shuichi couldn’t risk stressing himself out right now, he had to sleep and worry about it in the morning. His scent had been picking up, more bitter and unpleasant as he fretted over his potential lack of alpha. This is something he’ll rethink about tomorrow. For now, he’ll let his soft nest lull him to a fitful sleep.


	2. It Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi's heat fully hits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright here's a second chapter! This isn't too long but I'm working on a longer chapter now. Please leave some comments and kudos, it really helps to keep me writing!

Shuichi woke up, heat sticking to his skin, but not yet in an overwhelming way. He pulled himself out of his unbearably lonely nest, staring at it sadly before he got dressed. There was no need to check the clock, his body had trained itself to wake up at the perfect time to get to breakfast, routine setting in after the time he’d spent here.

He took another one of the pills Kaede had given him last night. His scent glands were itchy and irritated, but he had to cover the smell. Sweating a bit in his clothes, he headed down to the cafeteria. When he finally arrived, almost everyone was already there. 

Kaede was there, sitting at the end of the table, an empty seat beside her. She waved Shuichi down, gesturing to said empty seat with a bright smile. Shuichi sat next to her right as Tojo began to set food in front of people. 

Shuichi tried to eat without seeming bothered, but he couldn’t help himself from grabbing onto the edge of Kaede’s sweater. He needed to touch someone, be grounded by them. He felt like his empty-loneliness would eat him up if he didn’t.

He also couldn’t keep his curious eyes from being drawn to the alphas in the room. Kaito and Maki were sitting next to each other, Kaito being his usual loud self and Maki reprimanding the volume of his voice. Chabashira was watching Yumeno eat, which wasn’t unusual, and Korekiyo was keeping generally to himself. And then, of course, Ouma was very loudly butting into everyones conversations here and there, drawing all the attention to himself.

Shuichi’s thoughts and eyes very clearly lingered on him, to the point that Kaede had to snap him out of it with a tap to his side. He looked up at her, nearly dropping the fork that had been balancing precariously in his hand, clearly flustered. She gave him a gentle smile, nodding to his food, which he had stopped eating. Shuichi got the hint and began to finish his meal, listening to the beta’s silent words. 

Maybe Kaede was wrong, maybe his stress heat would hit much earlier, as it already seemed to be affecting him very poorly. Shuichi couldn’t keep his mind off him, that one alpha that so obviously captured his attention. A shot of uncomfortable heat shot through Shuichi. He squeezed Kaede’s hand in his shock, causing her to jump as well, drawing a few stares their way. Shuichi flushed, shoveling his food into his mouth in a very un-Shuichi-like way to get out of there as fast as possible. The shock of heat wasn’t settling well.

Kaede had already finished her food, and was looking very anxious. Shuichi couldn’t tell what was setting her off, but more people were starting to notice her jumpiness. Shuichi, feeling a little shaky, finally put his fork down and moved to stand, Kaede following. His first step had him teetering to the side, legs weak and trembling. He yelped and grabbed onto Kaede, who let out a startled sound of her own.

Other people stood up in shock, moving to help the omega who’s stress heat was hitting far faster than it should have. Shuichi flinched away from the hands reaching out to him, clinging to Kaede. He whimpered softly, the now high-strung scent tainting the air, making his head spin.

“Don’t touch him! You’re making it worse!” Kaede yelled at the others as they kept trying to reach out to Shuichi. Some of them listened to the beta’s advice, but some alphas snapped back, asking who said she knew what was best for the omega? Kaito was snarling at Kaede as she pulled Shuichi closer to herself, trying to leave the room. Maki seemed to be fighting against herself, not sure whether to stop Kaito or to help him. Korekiyo only stared at Shuichi with narrowed eyes, and Chashibara was yelling at Kaito to back off. Kokichi was in the corner of the room, facing the scene with his head lowered, eyes not visible. Shuichi panted slightly, panicked tears welling up. A hand grabbed at his arm and he yelped, as if he had been burnt, and yanked himself away, pushing himself away from even the beta helping him.

Shuichi stood in the middle of the cafeteria for a moment, eyes wide as people argued with each other and some tried to approach him. Miu tried to edge near him, looking genuinely concerned for once. Shuichi whimpered and shied away. In a brief second, with a line of reasoning that screamed to be somewhere safe, Shuichi darted out of the room. He heard Kaede yell after him, sounding almost as panicked as he felt. 

As Shuichi fled from the confusing scents and sounds, his head felt a tad more clear, but his sprint didn’t ease up at all. He left the building, breaking a sweat as he raced to his room. He opened his door, slammed it shut, and threw himself into his nest. He tore off his shoes, threw his hat to the side, and unbuttoned his shirt, trying to make himself comfortable as he fought the continually rising panic. He took in deep, choked breaths, laying back against the soft fabrics. 

Spikes of heat ran through him in an almost painful manner, searing his body. He let out a heavy whimper, knowing that this was normal for a stress heat but not finding that anymore comforting. He was suddenly thirsty, but already couldn’t bring himself to reach for his water. He refused to even slightly leave the safety of his nest.

He had just started to relax, not a lot but enough for his heart to slow, when a knock sounded at his door. The noise was gentle, but with enough speed that it still caused Shuichi to dart out of bed.

“Shuichi?” The voice asked, a lilt to it that was familiar and reassuring, like cool water over a burning wound. Shuichi didn’t answer, merely slinked out of his bed, allowing himself to be drawn to the door by the one word. The scent of one person was far less threatening compared to the myriad of alarming aromas in the cafeteria. 

“I think you’re in a stress heat, and I wanted to offer some help!” The voice pipped cheerily. Shuichi was at a loss for words, unable to grasp the letters and pronunciations to form any sentences. Shuichi stopped right in front of his door, gaze focused on where the door and wall met. The handle was shiny. Shuichi heard a short laugh from outside, making him jump.

“I can smell that you’re right outside of the door! Will you let me in now? My legs are getting tired from having to chase you here then wait outside your door for so long.” The alpha on the other side complained, jokingly. He sounded somewhat off, like his usual cheer was strained with some worry.

Shuichi slowly moved his hand towards the knob, uneasy but drawn to the alpha. He jumped back when an indignant shout was heard from outside.

“Ouma!” Kaede shouted, heavy footsteps sounding, “Get out of here right now, I swear if you lay a hand on Saihara!” A little pair of footsteps scampered away with a squeak, darting away from the door, not before the person let out their signature laugh. Kaede’s footsteps were heard right outside the door, her beta scent overtaking the previous alpha scent Shuichi had been infatuated with.

There was silence for only a moment before Shuichi let out a distressed keen, sharp pain shooting through him. He smelt Kaede’s scent spike worriedly.

“Saihara,” She started, soft and gentle, coaxing him into feeling safe with her, “Will you let me in please? I want to make sure that you’re okay.” Shuichi felt trapped rather than soothed. He didn’t want her near his nest, near him. It was very hot in his room and his pain was growing to be a dull ache but with consistent flashes of sharper feelings.

Shuichi only whimpered, moving away from the door, gripping his own jacket. He moved towards his nest, settling in it as Kaede begged for him to “please let her in, she only wants to help.” Shuichi only nestled himself further into his nest, curling in on himself. He tried to find a comfortable spot where he wasn’t over heated and the pain was relieved to some degree. Shuichi settled as Kaede’s pleas to let her in died down, seeming to understand that he wasn’t going to obey.

The lack of scent on Shuichi’s nest made the omega in him incredibly unhappy, but the soft, fluffy blankets still kept him interested, running his fingers through the soft tufts. The omega heard Kaede shift outside, sitting right outside his door. Her scent was protective and strong, and Shuichi felt that no one would be able to get by his door without facing her first.

A shock of pain ran through him, and Shuichi curled into himself. The heat around him pressed tighter, stealing the breath from him with greedy claws. Shuichi sat up in a sweaty mess, ripping off his clothes. His shirt was thrown to the ground, pants flung in the air. Shuichi’s underwear stayed on. He wasn’t producing slick, his heat dry, and he felt exposed without the article.

He laid, pained and overheated, panting on his bed. Heat shot through him, pain shocked him to the core. It was enough to make someone pass out.


	3. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi is finally here.

Shuichi felt like he was slipping in and out of consciousness. Sometimes he was awake and fine, other times the pain was crippling and the heat suffocated him, squeezing his lungs. The waking moments grew progressively more torturous. His back and hips ached, lancing pain skidded through his waist, leaving him unable to move with its strength. Heat had him dripping sweat and keening for any sort of cool relief.

Kaede was outside, saying something almost in a panic. Shuichi couldn’t hear over his own whimpers and cries. Tears slid down his pale cheeks, all color torn from his visage. He sobbed and wailed for an end to the pain. It was overwhelming, the world around him fading to grey before lighting back up as his senses were once again toyed with by sharp stabs and lingering burns.

He needed help, he couldn’t get through this. He felt like he was burning up, turning to ash yet melting at the same time.

“A-Akamatsu…” Shuichi murmured, the words barely finding their way out. His lips quivered as they formed the word, tongue dry. An insistent thump was heard on the door.

“Saihara! What’s wrong, are you doing alright? You haven’t talked in hours!” Kaede exclaimed, her words fast. Shuichi swallowed down a sob, shifting on his bed and squirming in the sheets.

“I… I need him… Akamatsu… please I… need him,” Shuichi choked out, the words catching in his throat. He wanted him so badly to be here with him, to sooth him with his alpha scent and take care of him. There was no response for a while. A sob fell from Shuichi’s lips.

“Fine…” Kaede finally said. “but if he tries to do anything to you, I’ll get him.” She finished, tone serious before her footsteps pounded off. 

Shuichi waited, and waited, and waited. It felt like hours had gone by, pain slithering through him and pricking at him, spikes and heat driving through his skin. His stomach ached, keeping him immobile with the torment that suffocated him. His eyes fluttered open and closed, chest heaving with pants, trying to get a cool breath through the sweltering air.

There’s finally a knock on his door. Shuichi picks up on the scent, his scent. The omega whimpers, distress seeping through his own scent and painting the room, drenched in his smell. 

“Saihara,” The new voice said, worry edging into a cheerful lilt. Shuichi whined, slowly sitting up despite how his body fought to keep him still, telling him that he’s only safe in his nest. 

“Wont you let me in?” The voice said. Something about the tone compelled Shuichi, forgetting his discomfort momentarily to reach the door. He made his way over, slowly, and grabbed the handle. He held, just for a moment, before opening the door. And there he was, Kokichi Ouma, in all of his glory.

Kokichi’s scent hit Shucihi and the omega melted, the scent soothing his aches and pains. Shuichi let out a soft groan, falling forward to lean his weight on a surprised Kokichi. The alpha let out a short yelp before wrapping his arms around Shuichi, holding him against his chest. Kokichi stood still for a moment, a little unsure of what to do before he shifted.

“Did you miss me that much Saihara-chan!” Kokichi giggled, getting a better hold on the omega before carrying him over to the nest with a bit of struggling. Shuichi keened against him, shifting his face into the alphas neck to smell his soothing scent, refreshing compared to his stress heat scent blanketing the room. Kokichi set the omega down in the nest, pushing on his chest to lay Shuichi down against the soft cushions and sheets. 

Kokichi stood outside the nest, knowing that you shouldn’t enter without an omegas permission, and waited. Shuichi shifted around a bit, laying on his back and whining before he held out his arms and whimpered, inviting the alpha into his little safe haven.

Kokichi hesitated, usual smirk wavering, before he slowly climbed his way over to the omega, kneeling beside him with his smirk lopsided. Shuichi huffed, grabbing at the alphas arms and pulling at his sleeves, wanting his shirt off. Kokichi understood, smirk coming back full force and letting out a laugh. He pulled off his checkered scarf and unbuttoned his shirt.

“You really wanna touch me so badly, Saihara-chan?” He teased. Shuichi huffed again and just keened, not liking the wording when he was more in pain than in the mood for anything like that. Kokichi noticed his shift of discomfort and hushed up, not teasing anymore as he settled down next to Shuichi. 

The omega waited a minute before turning to lay on the alphas chest, cheek pressed against his cool skin. Shuichi looked up at Kokichi, who looked frozen with a soft blush on his cheeks. Shuichi huffed again, snuggling closer against the small alpha as the skin on skin contact lessened his pain, the scent cooling his fever. A soft purr was coaxed out of the omega, finally feeling some sense of relief after hours of pain.

Kokichi didn’t move, completely frozen as the omega cuddled up against him. He raised his hands slowly. After a moments hesitation the alpha gently placed his hands on the omegas sides, holding him. Unsure of what to do, the alpha laid and waited, hands barely touching the omega’s heated skin.

Shuichi squirmed on top of Kokichi, purr stuttering unhappily, causing the alpha to startle as the omega tried to push himself against the hovering hands. After another keen and a huff of frustration, Kokichi got the message and fully placed his hands against Shuichi, pulling him close. The omega made a content noise, stilling again, soft breath tickling the alphas skin and gentle purring vibrating his body.

Kokichi sat and waited. One minute… five… ten… Until he was absolutely sure that the omega was asleep before he too decided to close his eyes and rest. Might as well, he didn’t have anything else to do with Shuichi’s weight on him. And he had to admit, he was nervous about this whole ordeal, being with an omega through their heat, having to care for them and make sure they’re okay. Kokichi had no clue what to do and it frightened him, but for Shuichi he’d do his best.

Kokichi closed his eyes, forcing down his incessant worries, and falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait and lackluster chapter. Initially I was going to stop writing this. I had lost a few pages of writing due to an issue with my computer and was completely discouraged by it. But I came back just today and read over comments that I hadn't seen yet and they made me want to continue and finish this.   
> So thank you very much for your kind and supportive comments, I will try to get another chapter out soon and have already begun working on it. Hopefully this time I won't lose my progress haha.


	4. Learning and Loving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally start to figure out how to care for one another.

Shuichi jolted awake in sync with a stab of pain through his hips, groaning as his body tensed and relaxed with the rhythm of the pain. It was a faint throb of discomfort with a spike of vision-blurring pain appearing at random. Shuichi sat up, straddling the body under him. He whined as another shock ran through him, bringing tears to his eyes.

The body under him shifted, crooning gently. Shuichi hunched over them, the alpha under him, bringing a hand to his lower stomach and keening again. It hurt. Shuichi cried softly as the pain continued, insisting on causing him as much discomfort as possible.

Kokichi sat up further, a little panicked to see tears slipping down Shuichi’s paler-than-normal skin. 

“What’s the matter Saihara-chan, need something?” Kokichi said in his high pitched tenor. Of course he knew the omega was in pain, but he didn’t know how to stop it.

Shuichi shifted slightly on top of Kokichi, teetering to the side a bit with a groan. Kokichi jumped, arching forward and holding onto the omega to keep him from falling to the side. It was a bit of an overreaction, Shuichi was probably fine, but seeing the omega all sad and hurting was putting Kokichi on edge.

Up close now, Kokichi could see Shuichi’s face a lot better. He was painfully pale, probably from the force of the heat in him, and he was sweating pitifully. His face was drawn tight in pain, lips chapped, dark circles under his eyes. He was probably thirsty and tired, it had been a while since breakfast and the omega sure was sweating enough to have all of the liquids he’d downed at breakfast gone by now.

“Saihara-chan why don’t you drink something? Do you have any water nearby?” Kokichi said softly. Shuichi seemed pretty out of it so Kokichi didn’t want to tease him and upset him right now. Maybe later.

The omega said nothing but turned his head to the side, peering over the edge of the bed. Kokichi followed his line of sight and saw a bunch of water and what looked to be protein bars. And some funky water bottle. Kokichi reached over and grabbed one of the waters, about to lean back into the nest when Shuichi made a quick noise that stopped him.

“Bottle.” Shuichi huffed, panting slightly. Kokichi turned to the omega before whipping his head back around to look at the funky bottle. He grabbed it, not sure what it was but if Shuichi wanted it then Shuichi would have it. 

Kokichi sat up with the two items, opening the water and holding it out to Shuichi. The omega didn’t move only watching him and panting, a hand still on his tummy. Kokichi sat there for a minute, waiting, before shifting awkwardly.

“Are you gonna take the water Saihara-chan? I can’t hold it here forever, ya’know.” Kokichi huffed. Shuichi whimpered softly, looking strained. Kokichi momentarily panicked yet again as he caused the omega more stress.

“Too weak.” Shuichi murmured, eyes fluttering shut with a whine as pain washed over him yet again. His arms were shaking in their attempt to hold himself up over Kokichi, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to hold the bottle without spilling it everywhere. Kokichi sighed in a fake display of annoyance. Shuichi whined.

“I guess I’ll just have to give it to you like some sort of baby animal, Saihara-chan.” Kokichi quipped, putting a hand to the back of Shuichi’s neck, tilting his head back. Shuichi made a noise of surprise and pleasure as Kokichi gently tangled his fingers in the omega’s hair. He put the water up to Shuichi’s lips, pouring it slowly so the omega didn’t choke.

Shuichi drank fast, clearly thirsty. He refused to drink anymore about halfway through the bottle though, and Kokichi was a little dismayed by how little water Shuichi took in considering his condition. 

“You drink about as much as a baby animal too, Saihara-chan.” Kokichi reached over the bed to put the water back on ground but quickly stopped when Shuichi let out a distressed keen. Kokichi sat back up, water still in hand, looking confused and worried. Shuichi looked from the water to the weird bottle on the bed. Kokichi kind of got the idea, opening the funky bottle and pouring the rest of the water into it. 

Kokichi sat the water bottle on the bed, reaching to put the empty plastic down on the floor. He sat back up as the omega let out another cry of pain, hunching over a bit as he rode out the new wave of discomfort. 

“Shake.” Shuichi gasped out as the pain receded once again. Kokichi was very confused by this, holding the bottle out a little. He waited a moment, only spurred on by an unhappy groan from Shuichi before he shook the bottle a few times. Shuichi made a happy noise at that, so Kokichi gave it a few more shakes.

The bottle started to heat up, and after a few buzzing circuits finally rerouted themselves in Kokichi’s brain, he understood. It’s to sooth Shuichi’s cramps, like a heat pack or something, right? 

Kokichi moved, gently pushing Shuichi back onto the bed, crawling forward until Shuichi’s hips rested in Kokichi’s lap. He was surprisingly lightweight, almost frail. Kokichi would have to remember that…

The alpha gently placed the warm bottle against the omega’s waist, who slowly relaxed as the bottle got warmer against his skin. Shuichi laid his head back against the nest, letting out a pleased hum as the pains were soothed to a bearable ache. Shuichi sighed gently, feeling a little more sane and normal with his almost constant pain now ebbing away. He hadn’t quite had a lucid moment with Kokichi yet, which was just a tad awkward.

Kokichi didn’t say anything, watching the omega start to feel fractionally better, enjoying the weight of him against the alpha. Shuichi let out another soft hum, chest rising and falling. Kokichi’s chest fluttered and tightened, alpha singing at being able to help the omega. They fell silent for a minute, letting Shuichi recover from the shock of waking up in pain.

“Feeling better, Saihrara-chan?” Kokichi sing-songed after Shuichi’s breath evened out, eyes closed. Shuichi’s eyes fluttered open, looking calm and content.

“Mhmm, thank you Ouma-kun.” He said gentle, almost a sigh. The omega seemed far more relaxed than normal, Kokichi wondered if maybe the stress heat, when he felt better, calmed the omega down? Who knew, heats were confusing.

“Bet you’re glad I came huh! I’m the most caring, wonderful alpha, you’re sooo lucky I’m here!” Kokichi puffed, smiling bright. Shuichi blushed softly, looking at Kokichi with an exasperated look, but fondness seeped into his features. 

“Incredibly lucky, Ouma-kun.” Shuichi sighed out. Kokichi blushed a little now himself. Does calming down during a stress heat also make omegas more confident, because Kokichi’s Saihara-chan would rarely reply in such a way, playing into Kokichi’s bluffs. 

“Mmmmmhmm, that you are!” Kokichi huffed out excitedly, if not a bit flustered. Shuichi watched him for a moment before reaching his arms out. Confused, Kokichi grabbed the omega’s hands, holding them unsurely. Shuichi made an odd face before gripping the alpha’s hands tightly and pulling him down onto himself, effectively cuddling him. The water bottle was a warm—if not somewhat awkward—presence between them.

Kokichi blushed even more-so than before. The position was a bit intimate, and they were alone and mostly undressed. Not to mention, this was a needy and stress-heat ridden omega pulling an alpha on top of himself. If Kokichi was unsure whether Shuichi liked him before, he sure knew now. Cuddled up against the omega, Kokichi was glad to hide his flushed face in Shuichi’s neck. 

The omega hummed contentedly, almost purring against Kokichi. Kokichi wasn’t sure what to do other than wrap his arms around Shuichi and hold him close, keep him comfortable.

“I hope that having you here to take care of me will have this end earlier.” Shuichi murmured, putting himself to sleep by taking deep inhales of Kokichi’s sweet alpha scent. Kokichi floundered for a moment before coming up with a lame response to the sentiment.

“I hope so too, Saihara-chan! I want you back and active so we can cause some trouble together!” Shuichi let out a gentle laugh. They laid together, comfortable and content, breathing gently against each other. 

Until a loud grumble interrupted their peace. 

“Ooooh is Saihara-chan hungry?” Kokichi teased, leaning up a bit. Shuichi, slightly dejected, sighed and blushed. His soft moment with the alpha he liked was ruined by his needy belly. 

“There’s some protein bars down by the water bottles.” Shuichi informed, gesturing to his stack of goodies down on the ground. Kokichi peeked over the edge before he reached out and grabbed a few things. He leaned back up with some protein bars and a few candy bars. Kaede must have grabbed those and snuck them into the pile as a treat when Shuichi wasn’t paying attention.

Kokichi divied up his goods, two candy bars in one pile, two protein bars and a candy bar in another. He moved the first pile over to himself, then picked up and offered the other three bars to Shuichi. The omega reached up and grabbed at one of the bars, assuming he was choosing one, but Kokichi pulled his hand back with a ‘tsk.’

“You’re gonna eat all of these, my dear Saihara-chan, not just one.” He sing-songed to the omega, holding his hand back out with all the snacks. Shuichi was about to argue, say that he didn’t need all that, but Kokichi cut him off again.

“You’re not getting out of this one, Mr. Ultimate Detective. You’re in a stress heat, which, y’know, is really draining on your body. Not to mention,” Kokichi smirked, but there was underlying concern hidden in his expression, ”You’re looking a little skinny there, Saihara-chan.” He finished, purposefully eyeing Shuichi’s visible ribs and hip bones. Shuichi was a bit thin for his height, and he was underweight for an omega but, he couldn’t help that he simply forgot to eat sometimes…

Shuichi begrudgingly took the bars, feeling well-berated. Kokichi showed off an obnoxiously bright smile, waiting for Shuichi to unwrap and bite into his first bar so he himself could eat. Shuichi ate carefully, slowly, as opposed to Kokichi who took quick, messy bites, getting chocolate on the corner of his mouth. 

They ate their bars in comfortable silence, for the most part. Kokichi would randomly spout out some sentence, shifting between wildly different topics from the Mariana Trench in the ocean to the stuff that makes electronic screens look rainbow from certain angles. 

By the time they finished—or, waited for Shuichi to finish, since Kokichi had practically shoved his food down his throat—Kokichi had effectively smeared chocolate all over his cheek. Kokichi was once again talking about some odd topic, and Shuichi allowed his mind to wonder a bit as he politely nodded and replied with quick “yes”s when prompted. He looked at the mess on Kokichi’s face, wanting to try something. Feeling a bit emboldened and fueled by his food, Shuichi leaned up. He gentle grabbed Kokichi’s chin, tilting his head down, and licked up some of the sweet chocolate from the alpha’s cheek.

The alpha’s stunned silence was enough to raise a high blush onto Shuichi’s face, regretting his decision. But then, Kokichi was leaning down, giving Shuichi a gentle kiss on the cheek, and Shuichi flushed for a different, butterfly-fluttering reason. Shuichi reached up once more, but this time Kokichi understood what Shuichi was reaching for, and Kokichi curled up in Shuichi’s arms with an elated giggle. 

Kokichi nuzzled up against the omega, heart pounding excitedly. They lulled each other into another fitful sleep, cuddled up against one another, sharing their warmth and calm exuberance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter. I actually really enjoyed writing this, it was very pleasant and just made me feel generally nice.  
> There should only be one more chapter, more of an epilogue sort of deal than anything, so thank you guys for all your support so far.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you'd like me to continue please leave a kudo or a comment!


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